NPR 2010-06-05

Investors¹ bailing² out stocks again today. The Dow Industrial Average fell very sharply, at last check down 340 points at 9,916 . NASDAQ losing 84 points at 2,219. NPR’s Chris Arnold has been following the markets and he joins us now. Hi Chris.

 

Hi Lakshimi.

 

So what spooked investors today?

 

Well, there are actually a bunch of things that spooked investors but probably the main thing was the jobs report, and this is the monthly jobs report we get. It gives us a snapshot of how many companies are hiring and firing how many people. And what happened was analysts³ basically got ahead of themselves. They were predicting a very strong report, and the stockmarket had risen on those hopes. And they got it wrong, a much more anemic report came out, so not as many new jobs, not as many people spending money could mean slower economic growth, and that pushed down the stock market today.

 

But there are other forces that play here today you know?

 

Yes, there were. There has been ongoing⁴ worries about Europeand European banks, and there were some, some new concerns there about losses for European banks, and there was new talk of the country of Hungary whether it’s gonna default on its debt. And then there is the ongoing oil spill in theGulf and this is an environmental disaster, but it’s also a growing economic problem. And there’s lots of businesses affected⁶, fishing boats, you know, tothe hotels that are empty, and all that's helping⁷ to drag the stock market down too.

 

Thank you Chris. That’s NPR’s Chris Arnold watching the markets for us.

 

Tar⁸ balls are washing upon the shores of North West Florida,the fourth state affected by the historic oil spill in the Gulf⁵ of Mexico. In Pensacola,it’s rattling⁹ local residents such as Joe Fairly .

 

It’s a safety hazard obviously for the public as well as the environment, as far as the wildlife, and the fish, and the things in the ocean.

 

Fairly among a growing number of people outraged¹⁰ over BP's and the government’s handling of the oil spill, President Obama is touring Louisiana where he is expected to meet with local residents. He’s also gettingan update on BP’s latest attempts at containing that spill.

 

An Afghan peace conference aimed at forging a truce¹¹ betweenthe government and the Taliban is now over. NPR’s Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson reports the participants asked for concessions¹² from the Taliban and the NATO coalition¹³ in Afghanistan.

 

They did ask the militants¹⁴ as well to sever¹⁵ their relationships with Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. That was one of the demands that was made of the Taliban. But for the most part, it seemed that they were turning to the Wests of saying, you know, the United States in particular, they were very thankful, although the Afghan people are very thankful for what they've done, that it's time that this conflict is moved from a war into some sort of talk phase.

 

That’s NPR’s Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson reporting from Kabul.

 

The chief American commander in Iraq Ray Odierno says he is confident he can safely scale back US troop levels to 50,000 by theend of August. There are currently 90,000 troops in Iraq.

 

This is NPR.

 

Five, four, three, two, one, lift off.

A multimillionaire's privately¹⁶ built test rocket blast off from Florida’s Cape¹⁷ Canaveral today according to the SpaceX website. Falcon¹⁸ 9 achieved Earth orbit nine minutes into its flight as planned. It's a major milestone¹⁹ for the company which plans to use its rockets and Dragon capsules to launch people and payloads into orbit.

 

The United Nations Secretary General has called on the authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo to investigate the death of a leading human rights campaigner and has offered assistance. From the capital, Kinshasa, NPR’s Ophebia Quist Arctun reports that rights activists²⁰ have warned against a cover-up and are demanding an independent inquiry²¹.

 

Floribert Chebeya Bahizire was found dead in his car early Wednesday after being summoned to a meeting with Congo’s Inspector²² General of Police. Fellow human rights campaigners have suggested official Congolese responsibility. Police reports point to a death related to a sexual liaison²³.The police said Chebeya was found partially²⁴ dressed with two used condoms,female hair and the packaging of a sex stimulant²⁵ beside him. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the government to conduct a thorough and transparent²⁶ investigation²⁷. He offered the help of the UN Peace-keeping Mission in Congo if requested. Chebeya headed the "Umbrella Rights Network" as well as the group "Voice of the Voiceless", and had faced intimidation²⁸ and arrest in the past. Ophebia Quist Arctun, NPR News, Kinshasa.

 

Dutch murder suspect Joran van der Sloot is in Peruviancustody in connection with the death of a 21-year–old girl who is also linked to the disappearance²⁹ of an American teenager five years ago.

This is NPR.
 

1 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

2 bailing   

（凿井时用吊桶）排水

参考例句：

• Both fountains were going furiously and both pumps bailing with might and main. 两个人的口水只管喷泉似地朝外涌，两个抽水机全力以赴往外抽水。
• The mechanical sand-bailing technology makes sand-washing operation more efficient. 介绍了机械捞砂的结构装置及工作原理，提出了现场操作注意事项。

3 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

4 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

5 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 tar   

n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于

参考例句：

• The roof was covered with tar.屋顶涂抹了一层沥青。
• We use tar to make roads.我们用沥青铺路。

9 rattling   

adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词

参考例句：

• This book is a rattling good read. 这是一本非常好的读物。
• At that same instant,a deafening explosion set the windows rattling. 正在这时，一声震耳欲聋的爆炸突然袭来，把窗玻璃震得当当地响。

10 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

11 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

12 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

13 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

14 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

15 sever   

v.切开，割开；断绝，中断

参考例句：

• She wanted to sever all her connections with the firm.她想断绝和那家公司的所有联系。
• We must never sever the cultural vein of our nation.我们不能割断民族的文化血脉。

16 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

17 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

18 falcon   

n.隼，猎鹰

参考例句：

• The falcon was twice his size with pouted feathers.鹰张开羽毛比两只鹰还大。
• The boys went hunting with their falcon.男孩子们带着猎鹰出去打猎了。

19 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

20 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

22 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

23 liaison   

n.联系，（未婚男女间的）暖昧关系，私通

参考例句：

• She acts as a liaison between patients and staff.她在病人与医护人员间充当沟通的桥梁。
• She is responsible for liaison with researchers at other universities.她负责与其他大学的研究人员联系。

24 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

25 stimulant   

n.刺激物，兴奋剂

参考例句：

• It is used in medicine for its stimulant quality.由于它有兴奋剂的特性而被应用于医学。
• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。

26 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

27 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

28 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

29 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。